You might think of Barbados for many things, such as white sandy beaches and swaying palm trees but you may not have necessarily thought of Barbados as home to international polo.
British cavalry officers originally played polo in Barbados from as early as 1884, when the Barbados Polo Club was formed.
Today there are four polo grounds in Barbados. The main field is at Holders in St. James, where the Barbados Polo Club is located. The other grounds are Water Hall, also in St. James while the other two grounds are Lion Castle and Clifton in St. Thomas.
Polo is a team sport with four players on horse back on each team, there are goal posts at each end of the ground and the objective is to hit the ball with the mallet, whilst keeping control of the horse and score a goal, the goal is only counted if the scoring rider is mounted.
The game requires an awful lot of skill and is quite amazing to watch as the game is very fast with the horses going at great speed. Somehow these riders manage to not only control the horse and direct it towards the ball, but also they are doing this with one hand!
The other hand is holding a heavy wooden mallet, and they then hit the ball with such precision as they fly past on their horse. It is also amazing how hard they manage to hit the ball and with such accuracy - it really is a very entertaining and fun game to watch. The match is divided into 8 chukkas - a chukka being a 7-minute period of play.
The facilities at Holders are great, as it is home to The Barbados Polo Club, where you will find a fully stocked bar, as with most things in Barbados, sampling the local rum is highly encouraged. As you would also expect with Polo there is also a champagne tent, offering champagne by the glass or bottle.
During the games there are sandwiches and snacks available and afternoon tea and cakes. When the match ends then there is a full barbeque with chicken, pork, steak and salads on offer.
With such great facilities for the game, Polo in Barbados attracts international teams and spectators from around the world and is very much on the touring circuit for some of the world's most renowned polo players.
If you have never been to watch a game of polo before, then Barbados is the ideal place to witness all the action, as the crowds are much smaller than some of the grounds in other parts of the world and has the usual laid back Caribbean atmosphere.
Polo in Barbados is a great day out for the entire family as the children enjoy watching the horses and have a great time running around the field when the match is finished.
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